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Emmerdale welcomes back another fan favourite in the New Year as Lisa Riley briefly reprises her role as Mandy Dingle.

When Marlon and his new wife Jessie have their legal wedding at the local church in early January, Mandy surprises everyone by bursting in through the door  17 years after her last appearance in the Dales.

Mandy's reappearance quickly makes a big impact on Chas Dingle, who's in a vulnerable state and lashes out at her. Mandy's ex-husband Paddy is also sure to be intrigued by the revelation that she has a 16-year-old son

Here, Lisa Riley shares some early teasers on her big return to Soapland.

You must have been asked back a few times over the years, so what made you want to return for this storyline?

"I'm the type of person that must have an answer  I can't leave anything open-ended. I did a Q&A in June and there were 4000 people there. Usually people ask me, 'When are you going back to Emmerdale?', but I've had that since the day I left.

"It was really weird, but for some reason these people asked 'Why won't you go back to Emmerdale?' and I had no answer. So I thought: 'Well, why not? Will it do me any harm? Have I ticked my own boxes career wise?' I've done so much since, which has been great, and 17 years is such a long time.

"I'm interested to see where Mandy has been and evidently people want her back. The reaction I've had from viewers since it's been announced has been fantastic, so I think, 'Thank God, I did make the right decision!'"

How did your return come about?

"The first initial offer was for a long period, but because of work and my commitments, there was an original storyline which has been flipped. It won't be what people expect, which is even better. It leaves things very much open for the New Year, shall we say.

"I had a secret meeting with the show and I had time to have a think about whether it was the right thing, but it didn't take me a long time once they told me the story."

Does this guest return leave the door open for Mandy to return for longer?

"Yes! I'm not dead! I'm very much alive."

What has happened to Mandy over the past 17 years?

"She's still in Southampton and something has happened to her. She has a child called Vinnie. They are very similar which is really nice and gives a lot of scope. She's been very happy and has a bit of money now, so she's not as downtrodden as she was. She's also a little bit more glamorous than the mismatch she was before."

Who's been cast as Vinnie?

"Brad Johnson. He was in Kay Mellor's The Syndicate and he's brilliant. Vinnie comes to the village with Mandy and the avenues of where the stories can be taken are huge. I'm so excited."

We first see Mandy at the wedding  has she been invited?

"No, she hasn't been invited! I can't tell you why she's back, but it's brilliant."

How does Mandy react when she finds out what Paddy has been through with baby Grace?

"Those are beautiful scenes. Working with Lucy Pargeter (Chas) was just amazing. We've never worked together before, but I love her work on screen. The first day I came back, I wanted to tell her how brilliant she's been in this story.

"Online, everyone's been saying Mandy and Chas are going to hate each other. There's definitely some conflict at first, but we shall see. Sometimes there is girl power and girls sticking together for the right reasons, which I think is a brilliant thing moving forward.

"They're very similar, because they are confident females, but they live with bravado and confidence when inside they're hurting. That's what they always wrote for me when I was here as Mandy.

"I honestly think Mandy and Chas are sisters. It would be wonderful to explore that, because they are so similar yet they've been through so much turmoil themselves."

Do you prefer acting or TV presenting?

"Acting, 100%. It's in my blood, but I like to be able to show the fun side of me too. I grew up on Emmerdale. All my best friends were at uni having fun, while I grew up on TV and went through my teenage years on screen. So with that in mind, wherever I went, people would say: 'Oh look, there's Mandy'.

"But when I did You've Been Framed, I was suddenly Lisa which was great. I liked the fact I'd not exactly put Mandy in a suitcase but you could evolve as a person and people saw me as Lisa Riley."

Does Mandy still have feelings for Paddy?

"I can't say. I don't want to give that away, I think that would ruin it for everybody. That's going to be a nice surprise. Even my dad's asking me: 'What's happening with you and Paddy?' I'm like: 'I'm not telling you a thing, because that's the question that everyone wants to know. So let that evolve, let that happen'. And I think you'll like it."